Hakone Municipal Sengokuhara Elementary School

The real-life "Hakone Town Former Sengokuhara Junior High School" served as the design model for the "Tokyo-3 First Municipal Junior High School" in the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Located in the Hakone area of Kanagawa Prefecture, the school has since been closed. Because its actual geographical location and school building appearance were used as references for the anime's background, it adds a strong sense of realism to the fictional world depicted in the series and has become a popular destination for fans on pilgrimage.

In the story, "Tokyo-3 First Municipal Junior High School" is a public school located in Japan's new capital, Tokyo-3, and is the only school depicted in detail within the anime. It serves as the setting for the student lives and narrative development of several main characters. Class 2-A is the class that the protagonist, Shinji Ikari, belongs to. Before he transfers in, Rei Ayanami is already a student in the class, and later Asuka Langley Soryu joins as well. Most of the students in the class come from broken or incomplete family backgrounds and lack close relatives. They have been selected by the "Marduk Institute" as EVA pilot candidates, indicating that the school serves a special and secretive function.

The anime also suggests that the NERV organization has influence over personnel and security matters at the school. In one scene, Misato Katsuragi says, “Please take care of Shinji's daily security,” implying that dedicated personnel may be stationed at the school to ensure the safety of the pilots.